Airbus to cut 3,700 jobs in Germany, Spain, France, UK

European planemaker Airbus is to cut 3,720 jobs due to plans to reduce production, unions said on Wednesday after meeting management at the company's headquarters in Toulouse, south-west France. The company itself said "a maximum of 3,700 jobs" will go.

Airbus has promised not to declare any compulsory redundancies, the unions said, but it says the jobs have to go because of planned cuts in production of A380 passenger jet and the A400M military transport plane.

The staff reductions are expected to come through redeployment, retirement, non-renewal of short-term contracts and cutting sub-contractors.

They will affect personnel in France, Germany, the UK and Spain, the company said in a statement, adding that it would handle the restructuring "responsibly".

Germany will be worst hit with 1,900 jobs going, according to French trade unionist Jean-Marc Escourrou.

Spain will lose 850, France 470 and the UK 450, he said.

Sales of the A380 have been disappointing, although it was saved from total disappearance by a recent order for 20 planes, with an option on 16 more, by Emirates Airlines.

The A400M has been dogged by delays in delivery and overspending, having a harmful effect on the company's 2017 results.

Airbus has scaled down its production plans for both planes.

It has orders for 317 A380s but expects to deliver 12 this year, eight in 2019 and six per year from 2020 onwards.

This year 15 A400Ms should be delivered, compared to 19 last year, and 11 in 2019.